Registering measuring-staff



(No Model.)

H. GREGG.

RGISTBRING MEASURING STAFF.

No. 316,358. Patented Apr. 21,1885.

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t UNTTED STATES PATENT @rr-reno HABLAN GREGG, OF N ASI-IUA, NEW? HAMPSHIRE.

REGISTERING IVIEASURING-STAFF.

lf?ECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 316,358, dated Api-i121, 1885,

Application iiled April 22, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HABLAN GREGG, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nashua,

in the county of Hillsborough and State of New Hampshire, have invented new and useful Improvements in Registering-Measures,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to lumber-measures andsimilar devices which are used to determine the superiicial area, in feet, of boards or other material, and it is the purpose thereof to provide such a measuring-staff with a registering mechanism by which the measurement may be registered, thereby avoiding the necessity of the operator carrying the several gures which represent the estimated area. in his memory.

To this end my invention consists in the combination, with a lumber-measure or a similar measuring-staff, of a registering mechanism operated by a key, and imparting to one, two, or more registering-disks a rotary stepby step movement, the arrangement being such that the disk registering the serial units or digits shall have action at each movement of the key until one complete revolution of said disk completes its limit of registration, when the next registering-disk is brought into action, and the succeeding enumeration registered thereby.

My invention further consists in means for locking the registering mechanism against all movement except when actuated by the operator.

My invention finally consists in the several features of construction and combinations ofparts, fully set forth hereinafter, and detinitely pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings forming part of this application, Figure l is a longitudinal section taken through the end of the measuring-staff. Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the construction and combination of parts whereby, after the unit-disk has been rotated,

rthe succeeding' registration is automatically effected by the next succeeding registeringdisk. Figa-3 is a plan view, and Fig. et a detail perspective.

In the said drawings, the reference-letter 7A indicates the body of the measuring-staff,

which may be of any suitable length and construction. In the body of this staff, and near l one of the ends thereof, convenient to the hand ofthe operator, I place a registering mechanism, of which the following is a description.

The ordinary lumber-measure is a staff of suitable length and dimensions, having the usual division into feet and inches. In practicing my invention I mortise a recess in one end, or near one end, of said staff', and place therein the registering mechanism, which may be journaled upon a plate, B, set in the recess or mortise on the staff. To this plate B is attached a second or face plate, C, arranged at right angles to the former, and having one, two, or more openings, a, formed therein, through which the registration of the disks may be seen.

Upon the plate B are journaled one, two, or more registering-disks, D D', the., having such arrangement that their peripheries lie in the recesses a, formed in the plate G, thereby eX- hibiting through said openings the numbering upon the peripheries of said disks.

Near one end of said plate B,I pivot a bellcrank lever, E, having an arm, e, which projects through a slot, c, in the face-plate C, and is provided with a thumb-button, e. Pressure upon the latter gives motion to the lower end in a line substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the staff.

Upon the lower edge of the plate B-that is, the edge opposite that upon which the faceplate C is mounted-are formed eyes or loops d cl, within which slides longitudinally with the stafil a plate, F, which is thrown in one direction by the bell-crank E, and in the opposite direction by a leaf-spring, f, mounted upon a stud, f', upon the plate B. rljhis reciprocating plate carries a springpawl, G, which by its own elasticity engages with a ratchet, I, rigid upon the face of one of the registering-disks D. Upon the peripheral` surface of this disk are formed the numbers, from one to a tenth space on the disk being occupied by the Zero-mark or cipher, and each reciprocation of the plate F, which carries the spring-pawl, rotates the registeringdisk D sufficiently far to present the next succeeding number upon its periphery to the opening c in the face-plate O. The disk D,

as shown, is divided upon its periphery into ten equal portions, each bearing a numeral,

IOO

actuated in the manner described the tenth which may indicate the nine digits in succes- I sion; or each may represent a decimal enumeration. It will be seen that after the disk D has been rotated through nine-tenths of a single revolution a second disk must be brought into action in order to register those numerals in excess of the nine digits, the action of the second disk, D', being contemporaneous with the tenth step movement of the iirst disk, D, which is upon said movement brought back to the zero-point.

The second disk, D, is operated in the manner following: rIhesaid disk is journaled upon a stud, d', in such manner that its periphery, carrying the suitable numeration, is presented to the opening a in the plate C. Upon this face of the disk is rigidly mounted a ratchet, L, having teeth Z, equal in number to the numbers upon the disk. Upon a lug, M, carried by the plate F, is pivoted a push-pawl, N, having its toothed end m extending over the ratchet L, and normally thrown toward said ratchet by a spring, m', mounted upon the plate F.` The heel of the pawl, which is carried past the journal of the disk D, has a pin, n, which rests upon a flange, a, of the ratchet I, formed byl cutting away the central portion of the disk l), on which the ratchet is formed. By reference to Fig. l it will be seen that as the plate F is thrown forward by the action of the bell-crank F the pin n, riding upon said iiange, will hold the tooth of the pawl out of engagement with the teeth of the second ratchet, D', and the latter will therefore have no movement caused by said pawl. At a point upon said iiange lying in substantially the same radius with the Zero-space upon the disk D, Iform a recess, a2, of such dimensions that the pin n upon the heel of the pawl may at that point drop into said recess, and thereby cause its tooth m to engage with the ratchet L and rotate it throughout one-tenth of a revolution. It will be seen that this action of the pawl N can occur once only during each revolution of the registering-disk D, and that as the latter is at each movement of the plate F movement of the disk D will be accompanied by a simultaneous movement of the disk D, the former showing its Zero-point in the opening a, and the latter exhibiting the initial ligure in the series carried by it, or if such initial ligure has been passed, then the one next properly succeeding. Both disks are held against rotation backward by spring-pawls z' i, carried by the plate B.

In order to prevent the bell-crank E from being accidentally operated, I attach to the plate B a trigger, l?, having one end projecting from the edge of the staff, and provided with a hook, p, upon its opposite end, which engages with a pin, b, upon the end of the bellcrank E. This trigger is normally thrown into engagement with the bell-crank by means of a leaf-spring, t, and when in such position it securely locks the registering mechanism from operation.

A stop-pin, g, is mounted upon the plate F, to limit the movement of the latter and prevent its pawls from carrying either one or both of the registering-disks more than one-tenth of a revolution at each reciprocation of the said plate.

The registering-disks may be operated by a slide instead of the bell-crank or angular lever shown, and the registering mechanism described may be applied to a variety of measuring devices wherein it is desired to register' the measurement. rlDhe mechanism shown may, as set l'orth, be set in a mortise in the body of the rule or statt, or it may be mounted upon the outside, and the casing may be provided witha hinge, whereby access may be gained to the interior.

Three or more registering-disks may be used, the third and fourth, or either one, being actuated by a duplication ofthe mechanism substantially described hereinbefore, whereby the registration may run into figures of six or more places.

Any suitable form of lever may be substituted for the bell-crank or angular lever shown.

By myinvention I provide a simple, easilyoperated, and accurate recording mechanism, whereby many successive measurements may be registered, relieving the operator from al1 exercise of the memory, and giving a permanent and progressive record or' a day7 s work.

In the drawings I ,represent the units of hundreds on the iirst disk, beeause'a lumberman will usually carry in his head the number oi' feet to that amount, but it may as well represent units, or units of tens or of thousands. It is obvious that a friction device will essentially perform the functions of the springs t' and fi.

It preferred, the sides of the disks may be shown and the figures placed on them near their peripheries.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. rIlhe combination, with a measuring-stati", of a train of registering devices arranged within a recess in said staff, a lever pivoted in said recess and having engagement with a pawl-carrying plate, and a spring-actuated trigger which locks said lever, substantially as specified.

2. In a registeriiig-measure, the combination, with a disk having suitable numbering upon its periphery, of a ratchet rigid with said disk, a pawl carried by a reciprocating plate and imparting a step movement to said ratchet, a iiange upon the latter, having a recess, and a push-pawl having its heel supported by said Bange and opera-ting the second-disk once at each revolution of the tirst, substantially as described.

3. In a registering-measure, the combination, with a measuring-statt, of a series of registering-disks journaled in a chamber or recess in said statt, a ratchet formed or rigidly mounted upon the dat face of each disk, a slide-plate having a spring-pawl which actu` IOO IIO

ates the first disk at each reciproca-tion of said plate,a spring-actuated pawl pivotally mounted on said plate and having its heel supported by a ange on the ratchet of the first disk, said ange having a recess nearly opposite the zero-point of the disk, and a lever pivoted in the recess of the staff and engaging with the slide-plate, whereby the second disk will be advanced a single space at each complete revolution of the first, substantially as specified.

4. In a registering-measure, the combination,With the numbered disks having ratchets equally toothed, of a reciprocating plate carrying a spring-pawl having successive action upon one disk at each stroke of the plate, a push-pawl supported at one end by arecessed iiange carried by the rst disk, and having at each complete revolution thereof an operative engagement with the second disk,substantially as described.

5. In a registering-measure, the coinbination, with the registering-disks D and D', of the ratehets I and L, the former having a recess, n2, the reciprocating plate F, having pawl G, the push-pawl N, carried by said plate, and having a pin, a, upon its heel, and nieans for reciprocating the latter, substantially as described.

6. In a registeringnieasure, the combination, With the peripherally-numbered disk D, having a ratchet, I, provided with the flange n and recess aof the reciprocating plate carrying a pawl, N, having its heel engaging with said flange, and a second disk, D', having ratchet L, substantially as described.

7. In a registering-measure, the combination, with the disks and a reciprocating paWlcarrying plate, of a pivoted lever, E, and a locking-trigger, I), having a hooked end, p, which engages with a pin upon thelever, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signaturein presence of two Witnesses.

HABLAN GREGG.

Vtnesses:

It. T. SMITH, C. L. LovELAND. 

